Pumpout waste deck plate on side of boat?

[Schooner Chandlery]

Our regular deckplates for various things are all "on deck" but we're about to put a holding tank in a location that is chock full of "other" stuff on deck. All of it in the way of getting a deck-mounted pumpout plate. Rather than route the hose quite an additional distance (inside the boat's ceiling would be the only option--and that contributes to the reluctance) we're looking at two potential locations. The first is on the covering board outboard of the toerail. Our (wood) boat has a very wide covering board (7") and while this would work, it is not really desired. The other location is about a foot below that spot, but through the boat hull itself.

Thoughts about either location? Any ABYC rule that says sanitation discharge must be on deck vs side of boat?

Thanks for any assistance you can provide!
Brenda

[boatpoker]

No ABYC rlue that I know of and I am ABYC certified. The only issue I can see is if the pumpout is on a wall/dock higher than your toe rail, that could be a problem.

[donradcliffe]

I spent two seasons on a GB42 with the pumpout fitting through the hull. It was a royal PITA at fixed pumpout docks.

The boat surges back and forth and the dock pilings try to wipe out you, the hose, and fitting.

The last bits always drain down the side of the hull.

The cover plate is always trying to go for a swim.

[Fiveslide]

When i think about the side option, I predict a slight elevation in aggravation while having to reach over the side thru the lifelines. Perhaps, one day, you'll drop the hose in the water trying to make the connection.

Those are the only downsides that I can think of.

Sent from my XT1080 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[DavidLGCrawford]

I think I can guarantee that at some point your going to drop your cover plate. If I were doing what you are I would carry at least one, if not two, spares. (You know it will happen in the deepest dirtiest water with no place to buy another)

[peghall]

My take... David is right--you'd be guaranteed to lose the cap overboard at least twice and adding a chain is not an option because the pumpout can't get a seal with a chain in place.

Aside from that, it shouldn't be too much of a problem as long as the pumpout fitting is far enough aft to let you tie up, disembark, and then connect the pumpout to it while standing on the dock.

All that said...if it were my boat, I'd put the deck pumpout fitting in the side deck. A couple of extra feet of hose to get it out of the "congestion" in the location YOU think it belongs won't matter.

[Schooner Chandlery]

The on-covering board (outside the toerail) location is winning out. After I typed this question I immediately started thinking of how frequently the cap would be lost in the side of hull installation. Not worth it. Also not worth it to put it somewhere farther away from this spot because of the (significant) impact of running the hose through occupied space inside the boat. Not going to happen.

We have a composting toilet in that head and we usually just take the tank into a marina bathroom to empty it but we're going into a marina for a bit that explicitly forbids that practice (read the fine print!) so...retrofit, retrofit...

Thanks! for all your help!

[Sailingveterinarian]

I have a Knysna Catamaran. My waste plates are on the side of the hulls. I like it there. I am very careful to not drop the cover in the water. At many docks I can pump out while standing on the dock....one side only. On the other side I reach through my safety lines and pump out. Not really much of a problem. Both my water and diesel fills are inside wet lockers on the bow....no deck plates at all on the boat.

[Simply Sailing]

Originally Posted by Schooner Chandlery

We have a composting toilet in that head and we usually just take the tank into a marina bathroom to empty it but we're going into a marina for a bit that explicitly forbids that practice (read the fine print!) so...retrofit, retrofit...

What a shame! Maybe when there are enough of us, marinas like this will make some sort of provisions for us.

[Schooner Chandlery]

Originally Posted by Simply Sailing

What a shame! Maybe when there are enough of us, marinas like this will make some sort of provisions for us.

Some marinas that cater to a fishing fleet will have portapotty emptying stations and other marinas that include an adjacent RV park, the same. The rules at the marina we're going into were probably written for people with portapotty tanks (and those can be gross) so make sense.

We also WANT a liquid holding tank for this head because we've found ourselves at anchor in a remote area that we don't want to empty a liquid tank in (not to mention it's not legal if you're not 3 miles offshore). The solid tank can go 6 weeks with both of us using it, no problem but since we only have two liquid tanks for the composting head, our time at a single anchorage is limited to less than a week unless we find a public bathroom nearby (not likely when remote anchored) to dingy the tank to and empty it. We have friends who have one of those portable holding tanks (looks like a dolly on wheels) for this reason. We just don't have a place to stash it. So the holding tank serves two purposes for us--one for this marina and the second for when we're in a remote anchorage.

[deblen]

Is there any way that a screw in elbow would work. The idea is that you screw out the cover (& don't drop it) & screw in a street ell with an extension to get pumpout up to deck level.

/ Cheers/ Len

[Schooner Chandlery]

Originally Posted by deblen

Is there any way that a screw in elbow would work. The idea is that you screw out the cover (& don't drop it) & screw in a street ell with an extension to get pumpout up to deck level.

/ Cheers/ Len

It's going on top of the covering board so the side-of-boat option isn't in the works. I'm not sure I understand the focus on getting it up to the level of the deck though. We have sufficient freeboard (ranges from I dunno, maybe 55" adjacent the cockpit up to about 7 ft on the bow) that we've never been even height with the dock but I suppose it could be a problem with a boat with less freeboard.